Am I the only person who hasn't had problems with Jehovah's Witnesses?

Question

I don't mean that I don't mind them; I mean they don't come to my house. I always hear these horror stories from everybody and his dog about pushy Jehovah's Witnesses, and I can never relate. Why would they visit some neighborhoods to the point of their inhabitants going insane, and completely avoid others, like mine?

Oh, and just to clarify: my neighborhood's pretty quiet, middle-class, etc., and we don't have very many major problems (not a lot of crime that I know of); so ours seems like a prime neighborhood to visit. So why don't they?

And it's not that I'm complaining about this...I mean, lord knows they'd be annoying as hell and I should probably consider myself lucky...but I've just never had a problem with them. Anyone else like this?

Odd question, I know, but it just seems very mysterious to me.

To Hrothgar: That actually occurred to me. Oh well, I guess I'll soon have stories of my own to tell! XD

That and I'm usually pretty deeply asleep at six AM, so they wouldn't have much luck at my house.

Answer 1

Consider yourself blessed. If your neighborhood is nice and quiet as you described you probably don't show an express need. Slums, homeless, etc show a greater need for the good news for lack of hope.

Answer 2

We just recently moved after having lived in the same house for 6 years. We only had a conversation with Jehovah's Witnesses once. I was in a confrontational mood that day and decided to open the door and hear them out. Then I countered their beliefs with my own and they stuttered for awhile, then promised to return at a later date. They never did. : )
Before that, they'd shoved copies of "The Watchtower" under my door on 3 or 4 different occasions. I just never opened the door until that day.
Based on my experience and the experiences of others in the area, I've come to the conclusion that if you let them in and are nice to them they'll keep coming back because they see you as a possible convert. If you put up a good argument, they're more likely to leave you alone because they really don't have any good answers to good questions.
I have no idea why they would come to your neighbors and not you though. That is a mystery to me as well.

Answer 3

Sadly, many of these anti-Witness "anecdotes" are at best the exaggerations of casual bigots and at worst the propaganda of Satanic slanderers.

There is no incentive for any Jehovah's Witness to harass his neighbors, especially since Witnesses typically return to each home at least once or twice every year. Literally no JW congregation in the United States permits any residential door-to-door ministry before 9:am and usually much later on weekends and holidays.

Witnesses have been performing door-to-door ministry for over 100 years; they actually have an hour-long meeting each week to discuss strategies for the ministry. Such basics as "not driving the field insane" are certainly reviewed.

Thanks for your reasonable question. It will be interesting to see which answers seem to be from casual bigots and Satanic slanderers.

Answer 4

Maybe there are not enough of them in your area to go around. I live in a nice area of Phila. and they come often but no horror stories. Two days ago they came by. I said that I was busy and they gave me a pamplet and left. Next week I will just not answer the bell. Great free pamphlet. Had a lot of science in it (Watchtower). It told about developed and developing countries in the world. Former care more for things than human attributes. Latter have a lack of things and ability to read.

It also told about how obesity was soon replacing hunger and infectious disease as biggest health problem in world. I have a website that is trying to stop that. http://phifoundation.org

Also told about incredible rock formations in Ireland. Told about birds that eat bees, wasps and hornets. Just a little bit of scripture. It was excellent publication. Once in a while a gorgeous woman comes by.

A few years ago one did and she was coming back every week to talk to me (always with someone else). Here is why they stopped. I said that Old Testament did not talk about going to heaven and hell but when Jesus talked about it, it was a familiar thing. They did not know why.

So I told them that 500 years before Jesus the whole middle east was the Persian Empire. The official religion of it was Zoroasterianism. Zoroaster taught that if you do more good than bad you go to heaven. Do more bad than good and you go to hell. They never heard that but they said they would check it out. I never saw them again.

Answer 5

I am a Jehovahs Witness, at least an attendee & not baptzed yet, however I have gone out in fieldministry (service)& quite enjoy it. (note:I came from a Baptist upbringing)
If the person is not intersted we move on & donot harrass them,at least this is what i have noticed being in my city which btw is located in Austin,Tx. If you're a Christian & against door to door preaching/ministring pls read Acts 5:42;20:20(no pun inteneded);-) Acts 5:42 says "And every day in the temple & from house to house they countinued without letup teaching,& declairing the goodnews about the Christ Jesus"NWT
Acts 20:20"while I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicaly & from house to house"

Answer 6

I think people go to extremes when they classify Jehovah Witnesses as a horror story. They have been to my house plenty of times. They are pleasant people treated as if they are beggars. I am Baptist, my father was of the Pentecostal belief. One day my father invited his preacher to his home for Sunday dinner. The subject of Jehovah's Witnesses was brought up. His preacher made the following statement, "There is nothing wrong with Jehovah Witnesses, they go out and spread the word of Jehovah, whom they believe in, AND THAT IS REALLY WHAT ALL RELIGION SHOULD DO>>SPREAD THE WORD OF GOD.

When you are young, many are in a way forced to believe that Jehovah are preaching the wrong way. The same as all religions.
Baptist say they are going to heaven, Methodist, Pentecostal, Church of Latter Day Saints & Jehovah's believe that they are the ones that will go to Heaven.

Maybe the reason you have not been approached by the Witnesses is because they ventured your neighborhood once
and was told to never come back. They will not taunt you, if you don't want to talk to them they will leave at your request. Of course, they might ask you if you would like one of their
pamplets. I do not believe in alot of things that they do for
instance: they don't believe in Christmas or birthdays, etc. So if one does not believe in Christmas then they do not believe that
Jesus was born.

Answer 7

Over here in central Illinois I have yet to hear a peep from them. I've also heard all the horror stories about their "evangelizing" but have yet to see any evidence of them going door to door. In fact, I think I've only met 1 or 2 face to face I knew were part of their ilk. Maybe it's 'cause we've got all the Baptists here more then anything :)

Answer 8

They left my neighborhood alone but I attribute that a very irreverent neighbor of mine. This is the kind of guy who at Halloween would put the bucket of candy just within his doorway and take the screen door out, then sit behind a black curtain and wait. When kids reached in to take the candy, he'd press the button to play "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin (lyrics: "Come to Mummy/Come to Daddy/I will eat your soul") and grab their arms. He stopped when parents complained about soiled costumes.

Anyway, so when any group (Jehovah's Witness, the local Baptists, the Mormons or the Hare Krishnas, who only came once and I think it was because they were lost) would come around, he'd do something similar, dressing entirely in black, with funeral music playing the background and black candles visible from the entryway. The conversations would go like this:

Evangelist: "Hi neighbor, we're here to tell you about Jehovah/Jesus/Hare Krishnah"

My neighbor: "Hmmm.... you have nice bone features."

E: "...thank you. My name's Steve and this is..."

N: "Are you type O?"

E: "Excuse me?"

N: "Blood type. And do you have hemophilia?"

E: "Umm...not that I know of. Anyway, we just wanted to invite you.."

(From within) RRRRRRRAAAAAAAHAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

E: "What...what was that?"

N: "Just my lover." (yelling inside) "Honey, wait for me before you sacrifice the cat!"

Etc.

I gotta say the only encounter I had was while leaving my then-fiancee's (now wife's) apartment after dinner. This car with four guys in suits pulls up behind mine, blocking me into the parking lot. The guys get out. I'm thinking, "Oh man, it's the mob and I'm dead!" Then the leader speaks

"Hi, I'm elder Brian. Have you heard the good news of Jesus Christ as revealed to the tribe of Mormon?"

I was relieved - I'd almost wet myself. We talked for about ten minutes, prayed for their safety, I took their materials and went home.

Elder Brian, if you're out there, I flipped through the Book of Mormon, and it's nice and all, but thank you for not throwing me in the trunk and shooting me in the head. You guys were really very nice after that initial approach!

Answer 9

SSHH-Just don't post your address on here then

No mostly I just receive flyers on the door. Very periodic, not like scouring the neighborhood weekly.

Answer 10

Thank the lord you haven't 'cause when you do you are going to wish you had never met them. They will just keep coming and coming and coming until eventually you will start to hide when you think its them at your door.

Answer 11

They only came once to my door. We talk outside for,
about 5 minutes. I asked if, I could pray for them,and
they refused. They left immediately.